Twilight Bites
by DontHateMeCuzImBeautiful
Summary: For those of us who need just a little Twilight treat every once in a while here lies an archive of romance, comedy, or whatever little bits anyone would like. A group of unrelated one-shots, because we all need a bite once in a while...Pairings?
1. Unfaithful

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Twilight. All rights belong to the brilliant Stephenie Meyer. **

**A/N: Wow. It's been a long little while since I've had anything new for my faithful readers on . All I can say is that I am SO sorry that I've been gone so long! So, the only thing that I can do is grovel shamelessly by giving you a brand new story with a bunch of little bits to help you guys when I'm gone for long stretches of time. Hopefully we won't have another story drought like these past few months, but just in case, here you guys go!**

* * *

Unfaithful

* * *

The freezing cold of the night is nothing compared to the freezing cold in my chest.

I keep asking myself the same question over and over again, speaking the words like they were a mantra that could bring my heart back to its rightful place in my chest.

_What the hell am I doing?_

I take one final glance up at the gigantic house I call home most of the time as I pull my jacket closer to my body. The cool night air is like a balm on my frayed nerves and I nervously glance around for any sight of a silvery vampire prowling with cat-like skills…

For a minute I consider going back inside, consider forgetting this whole idea and staying curled up with the one who had originally set my heart on fire. But then another face flashes through my head and I realize, for the millionth time, that they're both in love with me at the same time. How could I be forced to make a decision when I cared for both of them and the same was happening to me? It may not seem fair, but what else could I do?

"Bella?"

My breath and my heart stop as another gust of wind blows my hair across my face. Trying to control my trembling hands I plaster a smile on to greet my husband-to-be while attempting to calm my suddenly raging heart.

"Edward! What are you doing out here?" I exclaim in what I hope sounded like a normal tone.

His eyes manage to capture mine even from across the yard. The lightning fast speed of his movements manages to catch me off-guard even though I fully expect it. Without warning he's standing between me, and the Volvo's driver's side door. Although he's smiling I can practically feel the tension rolling off of his body in waves.

"I could ask you the same thing," he replies, his smile diminishing slightly.

I shrug, hoping for nonchalance, and tell him, "Charlie and Billy are watching the game out on La Push and he wanted me to come say hi to the Blacks. He's complaining that I don't get out enough anymore…"

I try breaking the tension with a giggle but Edward's smile all but disappears at my words. I can almost hear his own thoughts in my head, wondering what I'm really up to and why I'm going all the way to La Push for Charlie. I try not to fidget under his scrutiny as his eyes narrow.

"Well," I start, starting to inch my way past him, reaching for the car handle, "I'd better get going. I told them I'd be there before it got too late-"

"Is Jacob going to be there?"

The question catches me off guard and for moment I'm stunned into speechlessness. I quickly recover enough to laugh breathlessly and exclaim, "What does that have to do with-"

"Bella, is he going to be there or not?"

His tone of voice nearly sends me over the edge as my heart continues to hammer wildly in my chest. He seems to be his calm, normal self, but something about his demeanor and questioning gives me pause. Finally I murmur, "It is _his_ house."

For a moment Edward looks as though he's going to yell, curse at me and demand that I stay in the house where I belong. But then he sighs, all energy seeming to drain from his body as he whispers, "Bella…"

I feel the moisture starting up in my eyes as I decide that I have to make him understand. "Edward it isn't fair! I can't stop being Jacob's friend just because you don't like each other!"

He gives a restless sigh of frustration as he exclaims back, "I wouldn't have a problem with it if he didn't want more than just your friendship."

It's getting harder and harder to keep a grip on myself as I try to steer away from this fact. I throw my hands up in exaggeration and huff breathlessly, "So, what? You want me to choose between the two of you? I can't do that Edward and you know it-!"

"Bella I'm not asking you to choose between us, I just wish you wouldn't keep secrets from _me_!"

I take a deep breath and yell, "I'm not keeping any secrets from either one of you, you both know how I feel! Why don't you realize that I love him too?!"

I hesitate and in the space of a breath I know that he knows what is really going on. Edward's eyes blaze with an intensity that makes me want to cringe away, his eyes turning a dark red that betrays his anger and frustration with the entire situation. As quickly as it appears the blaze is gone, replaced by a sadness that has my knees buckling again. For a second I consider throwing myself at his feet and begging for him to forgive me, to ask him to please understand. Only knowing that said action would be harder for him keeps me calm.

"Edward…"

He whispers, "I know that you love him Bella, I've always known. Hell, anyone with eyes can see that if I wasn't here you two…"

His golden eyes look away into the sky and I feel my heart slowly breaking. I don't like him talking of going away again. Even though I love Jacob I would be desolate and alone without Edward again. The remaining splintered pieces of my heart would not be enough to keep me alive, much less give to Jacob…

"Edward don't talk like that," I beg, "I love you, with all my heart, but Jake…he…"

Edward's mouth twists into a wry grin as he replies icily, "He put your heart back together again. Without him, I would have nothing."

Without thinking I launch myself at his cool, marble form and sob recklessly into his chest. He hesitates and stiffens against me which clenches my heart painfully and causes me to wail louder.

"I'm so sorry! I don't want it to be this way, it can't be this way! Why can't you two just-just-! God, I don't deserve either one of you!"

This last statement seems to do the trick as he hesitates, before slowly wrapping his arms around me and placing his cold cheek to my hair. For a minute he just lets me cry it out, sobbing uncontrollably. I try to tell myself that I can't see Jacob like this, which only serves to make me cry that much harder. Finally I feel my tear ducts give out and I just slump, exhaustedly, against Edward's cool body. We stand that way for a long time, just comforting each other, and on some higher level I realize that Edward needs this as much as I do. The confirmation of love and forgiveness wraps around us like a blanket; he forgiving me for loving someone else, and me forgiving him for leaving me and allowing all of this to happen.

But all too soon Edward sighs and whispers, "You should go now. You wouldn't want to keep Charlie waiting would you?"

I freeze and look up into his eyes and the watery smile he bestows on me is clear as a smack across the face. I sigh as well, my heart clenching painfully as I return the grin.

"I won't be gone long. As soon as Charlie's ready to go…" I mumble weakly, giving him a final squeeze around the middle before turning back to the car.

He moves gently out of the way so that I can open the driver's side door though I don't get in. I look up into his eyes just once more and the pain written their rips my chest open. Without thinking I rise up on tip-toes and kiss him with all the energy I can muster and nearly melt when he responds with almost the same urgency. It's almost as though he could make me want to stay through the feel of his lips alone, his persuasion working its way into my system with just our mouths touching.

I tear away only to breathe and take a moment to gulp in fresh lungfuls of air. My mind is completely disconcerted as I look into his eyes and really smile. Climbing in the car I roll the window down and explain, "I'll be home soon. I love you."

He only nods once and replies, "You're taking my heart with you."

"_He put your heart back together again. Without him, I would have nothing."_

It's not until after I drive away, well on my way to La Push and leaking tears again, that I realize his play on words was meant to hurt me.


	2. Awkward

**A/N: Okay, I know this is random but there was actual inspiration for this story. My friend Kendall andI were sitting around and we were talking about a class project with some...interesting wording. When my mother overheard she flipped until she understood what we were talking about. I know, I know. You won't understand until you read it...lol. Enjoy!**

**Thanks to my awesome beta Wildmage89 I am on the fast track to mind block recovery folks! Thanks again girl! I'm gonna go back and try to change that chapter BTW...**

* * *

Awkward

* * *

Edward Cullen had a nasty habit of walking in at the most awkward moments. Or, rather, listening in on them. Really it wasn't his fault and he often hid behind the excuse that everyone in the house knew that he could read minds so they should have developed a filter by now. On this particular day it seemed as though there had been a full moon, seeing as he had caught snippets of thoughts that he would rather have ignored.

This morning Alice and Jasper had been making googly eyes at each other on the couch when he walked by and caught Jasper thinking of what Alice was seeing in the future. Neither were very pleasant as they both involved a lack of clothing and having the house to themselves for the afternoon.

Emmett and Rosalie had hardly been better; as he'd blatantly walked in on them making out in the kitchen. Though their thoughts were much more interesting: Rosalie was wondering what shoes she was going to buy online from France while Emmett's thoughts revolved around the wrestling match that was sure to be on in about 5 minutes.

Luckily Esme and Carlisle had been separate during the two times he'd encountered them. Esme's mind had been relatively clean, worrying about all of her children and what on Earth they were going to do about dinner seeing as all of them needed to hunt. Carlisle's had been much on the same wavelength, wondering what he was going to research next and what his next shift at the hospital would bring.

As usual his wife's thoughts were been completely concealed from him unless she wanted them to be heard, and he didn't think he would be able to hide his absolute need for her if he could hear her thoughts on a regular basis…Fortunately Bella had gone to visit Charlie and wouldn't be back for another few minutes, much to his chagrin. He hated it when she was gone for any period of time, and though he hated to keep her away from her father he also absolutely hated it when he was trapped at home, surrounded by couples, by himself.

Sighing, he decided to check on the next best thing to his wife. If Bella was his soul, their daughter, Renesmee, was the closest thing he had to a heart. Supposedly she was working on a class project with Jacob Black, her (he growled at the thought it) 'imprinted intended'. Though for now she was passing off as a 9th grader at Forks High School (though she was technically only 6…), she and Jacob were as close as he and Bella and he was over 100! He hated to be a hypocrite and claim that she and Jacob were too young for anything (seeing as his own wife was about 70 years younger than him in human years), but it was his baby girl and he would be protective no matter what.

As he neared her posh, and absolutely teenage, room he noticed that the door was ajar and could hear what sounded like a small scramble. He looked into Renesmee's mind and caught sight of a mess in the middle of the floor. He shook his head. Between her and the werewolf nothing was ever going to be clean when they were finally together…

Renesmee giggled at something Jacob had done and the sound gave Edward pause. It had sounded entirely too playful to his acute ears. His suspicion was only heightened when Jacob answered back with a chuckle and, "Shhh! Keep it down won't you? You're dad's gonna hear us…"

Okay, suspicion gone. Disbelief slowly taking its place. Staying put firmly on the other side of the door and hoping that Renesmee couldn't see or hear him Edward planned to wait to jump them to discover what exactly what they were up to. He didn't have to wait long. There was a shuffling and what sounded like something shooting across the room and hitting the wall followed by more of Renesmee's girlish giggles

"Oh! Sorry Jake. This is just so _weird_…" she laughed and he could tell that Jacob had rolled his eyes in that half-hearted way that said he could never resist her.

He tried listening in on Jacob's thoughts but it was useless. Anytime just the two of them were together all of Jacob's thoughts revolved around the girl and what they had done during the day. Often it seemed like he was just memorizing everything about her, to the point that when he was sleeping Edward could catch sight of a perfect replica of Nessie's face and laughter. Now the only thing Jacob could think of was whatever had just happened making her laugh. Her bronze hair catching the light as she tossed her head back and laughed out loud, her face glowing lightly in faint sunlight streaming through the window…

Edward shook his head of the image and focused once more on what was going on behind the door once more. Jacob was talking again, focusing hard on whatever they were doing.

"I know, I know. Just relax would ya? This is hard enough without you moving it around everywhere. Ouch!"

"Oops! Sorry! I thought maybe if I just pulled on it a little here at the top it would straighten itself out," Nessie laughed, "Guess not…"

"Here, hold this right here for me. Yeah, just like that," Jacob sighed in a completely frustrated kind of way that had Edward gritting his teeth. Just what the hell were those two up to anyway…?

"Uh, Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't think that's going to fit in there…"

"What do you mean, of course it'll fit! We've just gotta, you know, ease it on in."

At this point Edward was absolutely seething. Whatever was happening he could only see flashes of it in either one of their minds. A dark hole, a hand guiding something into the hole, and what looked like…Clay?

He tried, without much luck, to calm and stop himself from bursting into the room without a second thought. He just didn't have enough evidence yet to bust them. After all, they couldn't be doing what he thought they were doing.

Could they?

Peering around the door he caught sight of one of their hands intertwined on the floor, but that was no different than any other day. They were leaning past the doorway so that he could only catch sight of their feet, though he could tell that they were lying on their sides and doing something just out of his line of vision. Nessie laughed once more and shook her feet like an excited five year old before exclaiming, "God Jacob that is amazing! How did you manage to do this?"

There was the vague sound of Jacob shrugging before he replied in a slightly smug voice, "Well, you know, I did have a lot of practice with your mother. I swear she thought I could fix anything…"

"I see where she got the idea from. Who knew you were so good with your hands?"

That was all he needed to hear.

Without a second thought Edward braced his hand against the door and exclaimed, "Alright, what are you two doing in-!"

To his credit, Jacob didn't bat an eyelash when his girlfriend's father burst into the room. The same, however, could not be said of Renesmee. She looked up at him and blushed supremely hard before bursting into a fit of giggles so strong she shook the floor. Edward's eyes betrayed his confusion as he caught sight of the clay figure in the middle of the room before he too let out a brief chuckle, accompanied by an, "Oh."

There, between Jacob and Nessie, was a perfectly moving mechanical replica of himself, blinking eyes and all. A thought bubble coming out of his head showed many sentences representing the many thoughts he heard a day, and it was complete with a picture of Bella in the middle.

He opened his mouth to ask what exactly this was all about when Nessie crossed the room in one swift movement and placed her hand on his. Her teacher giving her an assignment popped into her head, the assignment being to show someone who was special to you. Her thoughts were a little scrambled as it showed a painting she did of Jacob, and then another of her whole family. Finally, she showed her making the decision with Jacob on who she was going to do her project on.

When she slipped her hand away she explained, as though she'd been speaking all along, "So I figured you were the most special to me. Seeing as you had a hand in my birth and all…"

Edward chuckled and ruffled her hair affectionately as he exclaimed, "It looks beautiful darling. Though I can't imagine Jacob had much of a hand in this…"

He turned to the werewolf in question and winked. Jacob merely gave him his signature grin, taking Nessie's hand as he exclaimed, "I didn't. Ness did all of it, I just supervised."

The look he gave her was one that Edward could read his thoughts loud and clear without even listening in on his mind. Narrowing his eyes he left the room as Bella's arrival pinged on the edge of his consciousness.

"I'm home!" She called out from the front door, though she didn't even need to do that. He already had her in his arms, mouth pressed firmly against hers even as she tried to speak.

When they finally pulled away the pensive look on his face must have showed as she whispered, "What are you thinking about?"

The question itself made him chuckle as he kissed her once more and followed her to their bedroom. "Nothing. Nothing at all…"


	3. Absence

_Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure I still don't own Twilight..._

_A/N: For Christmas my friend Vince wanted a one-shot about his favorite couple and I was more than willing to give him an X-mas present that was homemade, lol. So, this was what came out of all of it. I hope you guys enjoy! Thanks again to my BFF Wildmage89 who continues to be my most awesome and patient beta!_

* * *

**Time Away**

* * *

_Tick…Tock…Tick…Tock…_

If there was ever a time I wanted to phase out of the day because of sheer and utter impatience, 3:00 on weekdays would definitely be it. I get up and pace the room from side to side, effectively blocking the doorway as I stomp from one end to the other. Of course it's not helping at all; but the action helps me to take my mind off of…

…_tick…tock…tick…_

Oh who the hell am I kidding? Nothing's going to help until I've left this house and started on my way. My mind is in a complete complex: I can't leave because I might miss her, but if I stay here my brain will explode.

Damn it!

Sometimes I absolutely hate the fact that my girlfriend is a vampire. Actually it isn't the fact that she's a vampire that really bothers me, or that she even has vampiric tendencies. I'd love her if she turned herself into a koala bear and told me to move with her to Cozumel. Being imprinted means that I'll always love her no matter what.

She's mine.

Anyway, the reason that I'm about to have an aneurysm without her is that her father decided they should spend some quality time together. Psh. That's a load of bull and everyone knows it, whether they can read minds or see the future or whatever the hell they all do.

Nessie showed me just before they left: She and Edward sitting together when he calmly mentions that maybe she's spending too much time with me. She looks up at him, confused, and remarks that they do live forever. And doesn't he just want her to be happy? Edward shrugs and there's a sad glint in his eye that makes Nessie feel guilty. He says that he does want her to be happy; "More than anything in the entire world", but she's literally grown up so fast; he just wants to be around her before she's old and married and calling him grandpa. She would do anything to make him feel better and tells him that Alice saw a sunny day coming up on Friday. Maybe they could go out hunting together…?

I sigh. While I love Renesmee more than anything in the world, her good heart is what has separated us for the past 2 days. The very thought of her being without me for so long is like a stab in the gut over and over again. She had promised Edward the weekend but promised me that she would be come straight to La Push when she got out of school on Thursday to spend the night with me. They'd leave first thing in the morning and she said she didn't want to leave without seeing me…

I glance up at the clock for what feels like the 20th time in as many minutes and growl again when I realize that only 5 minutes have passed since I last checked. Still another 25 minutes before she gets out of class, another 2 before she gets in the car and an additional 7 before she's actually on the reservation. I sigh. Another 34 minutes of absolute torture.

With another sigh of defeat I grab the cell phone she got me for Christmas off of the counter and head out to the garage. At least working on her birthday present will keep me busy enough for a while.

As soon as I walk in calm washes over me like a blanket. The feel of manliness in this room is too contagious to ignore and I actually crack a smile as I spot the box of tools next to the 1955 Chrysler C-300 that I'm fixing up for her. It was actually Bella's idea that I fix the car up for her and Edward had bought it for me, tools, parts, and all. At first I'd wanted to tell them that I'd get it all on my own, to hell with their generosity. But when Nessie started coming to watch me work and commented that she'd love one of my pieces, how could I say no?

Just as I'd promised myself, I immediately relax with tools in my hand. Working under the hood is almost as good as being with her, a sort of numbness that takes away the pain of us being separated. It feels good, the one thing that hasn't changed in all the years that my life has taken such a turn.

The sudden slam of a car door has my entire body in a roil of excitement. I immediately relax and tense at the same time, completely expectant and totally relieved. Before she even comes through the door her scent hits me like a ton of bricks and I swear it takes everything I have not to start salivating.

She's close. I can hear her footsteps and before she steps in I turn toward the entrance and smile. And then, there she is.

My Angel.

My eyes rove down her body, completely unashamed in letting her know that I'm more than happy to see her. Brown eyes identical to her mother's sparkle, her curly hair framing a perfect face as she smiles back. Everyday I look at her I feel like I'm looking at her for the first time, discovering a new color, admiring a new work of famous art. Today she's more like the perfect statue I could stare at until my eyes fell out of their sockets. There's no doubt that Alice dressed her this morning as she's got on my favorite designer jeans that hug her perfect body just right, and the pink shirt that always rises up a little to reveal about an inch of her warm, beautiful, creamy-

"Excuse me?"

Her voice, God it's like water after walking through the desert for a year, a chorus of the most musical bells I have ever heard. My smile widens and I start making my way toward where she's standing in the doorway.

"Yes, oh precious Loch Ness Monster of mine?" I chuckle when she makes a face at her life-long nickname, but when she starts to meet me halfway in the middle of the room I could hardly care less what her facial expression is. As long as it's focused on me I don't care about anything.

"I came here to see my boyfriend, but instead I get this freak of nature who keeps eyeing me like I'm something to eat," She murmurs in an offended voice. Renesmee's acting skills are bar none when it comes to teasing, and even now I struggle not to be completely amused by her little skit.

I shrug a little and stop where I am, about ten feet away from her. "Boyfriend? Whatever. I bet I could take him."

Her careful façade twitches out of place for a second as she puts her amusement in check, but then she crosses her arms across her chest (which I try_ not_ to focus on…) and replies, "I don't know, he seems like the jealous type."

I sigh and lean against the car I'd been working on minutes previously, cock my head to the side as I continue to study her. "Is this boyfriend of yours cute at all?" I ask, my smile back in place.

This time Renesmee unleashes the power of her smile on me and giggles, "A total hunk. At least, that's what all my friends keep telling me."

I laugh too and ask, "Cuter than me?"

She starts walking towards me again and I immediately mirror the action, knowing that she can't hold her charade up for any longer. "Oh, no competition at all," she replies, finally close enough that I can grab and her pull her closer.

Her skin is like a beacon and finally touching her makes the electricity a near palpable thing in the small space of the garage. My hands encompass her entire tiny waist and she gasps playfully when I lift her arms around my neck.

"Is that right?" I murmur, looking straight down into her eyes to wait for her next move. I don't need to wait very long. Giggling slightly still she whispers just as her eyes flutter closed, "I think you're much cuter…"

I thought of some other smart remark to say, but as her soft lips gently press against mine I can't think, or even want to think, of anything but the feeling. Fire floods my body, just like every other time, my body completely and totally aware of the girl turned woman in my arms. I've waited 7 long years for her to finally accept me as hers and I have to admit it was well worth the wait.

Nessie's hands tangle in the hair at the nape of my neck, beckoning me to get even closer to her than we already are. I grin and whisper, "A little eager are we?"

I feel her smile too when she whispers back, "More than you know…"

Her heady words make me groan out loud. God if she only knew what she did to me! Or maybe she does and she's using it to her full advantage. I wouldn't put it past my Nessie…

Without warning she takes the initiative and deepens the kiss so that my entire mind is suddenly clouded, swirling from the sensations around me, and then my body is acting completely of its own accord. I bend down a little and grasp her left calf, hooking her leg around my waist. She moans as our waists swipe across each other, the friction enough to make my own mouth water. She pulled away for a second and I whined at the loss of her mouth on mine. She giggled before jumping up and wrapping her other leg around me so that I was fully supporting her weight. The new position caught me off guard for a second; but, who am I to complain when the girl of my dreams is wrapped around me tighter than a hungry octopus?

Looking me straight in the eye she suddenly grows serious and murmurs, "I'm going to miss you…"

I smile back at her softly and murmur back, "Only half as much as I'll miss you."

Her eyes widen and she smiles as well. "Impossible," she laughs, "You'd lose your mind!"

I shrug and recapture her lips again. Her talking of leaving so soon is making me sad, but I plan on utilizing every single moment we have together. She won't have to miss me if she has enough memories to keep her occupied on her trip. After what seems like both an eternity and a few seconds I pull away for air, leaning my forehead against hers. She smiles back at me so happily that for a moment all I can do is stare at her.

"I love you," she whispers. The words roll off of her tongue like she's been waiting to say them her whole life and I take them as if I've been waiting my whole life to hear them.

Gently touching her slightly swollen lips I tell her without hesitation, "Without you I'm nothing."

She smiles and opens her mouth to say something when the far off sound of two people approaching gives us pause. After a few quick sniffs I groan out, "It's Quil."

Renesmee lowers her head as well and grins. "And Embry."

"Damn it!" I hiss. Why the hell is it that anytime I'm alone with my girl something's gotta interrupt? I swear the gods are against us…

Nessie giggles and whispers, "I've got an idea."

Before I can even ask she places a soft hand on my cheek and shows me in my wolf form, running free through the woods with what looks like her 3 year old self on my back. I look at her in amusement and confusion. "You really want to?" I ask her. "We haven't done that in forever!"

She pouts a little and damn it if I can say no to that face. She's been practicing, I can tell…

I groan dramatically and tell her, "I don't know, you might have gained a few pounds since then…"

She raises an eyebrow and lifts and crosses her arms, just about to say something when Embry's voice calls out from not that far away, "Jake? Hey Jake you there?"

Nessie and I look at each other and take off at the exact same time to the back door of the garage, especially built in for when I need to transform. She gets there a few seconds ahead of me, turns and murmurs, "I'm ready."

That's all I need. I grab a hold of her hand and toss her on my back just as I transform, and the feeling is delicious. We take off into the forest behind the garage and the elation of having Renesmee on my back, laughing hysterically, the landscape racing past us and being in what almost feels like my natural form, this is what true happiness feels like.

As we're running along Renesmee looks down into the one eye she can get to and places a hand on my furry cheek. I don't even need her to show me exactly what she's thinking.

_I love you, so much…_

I throw back my head and howl in response.

Her laughter is all I need.


	4. Enlightened

**Disclaimer: Still don't own...**

**A/N:** This is just a sad little tidbit that I put together for my best friend for her birthday. I thought it was a little strange that she would request a Twilight bit, but when she said, "But I want Jacob to finally figure out that Bella is totally still in love with Edward without her having to tell him. I love Edward, but I hate that she had to be the one to say 'Sorry, you're not good enough'" I was so confused I thought my head would implode! lol Well, though she does technically say it it's not necessarily to Jacob...

* * *

I felt like I was being torn apart.

My brain told me that it was getting late and only my sick obsession with my object of desire was keeping me awake.

My heart told me that I had to go and see her.

My body was exactly in the middle, lying still enough to beckon sleep, but tense enough that I could spring into action the minute my brain made the decision I wanted it to make.

I had lain there for the better part of 2 hours, arguing my case against myself the reasons why I should go ahead, phase, and run to Forks for a quick peek. There were a million motives for me to go that I tried to justify that were just as quickly rebuffed by Logic.

She was all by herself…

…_she was probably dead asleep…_

…probably lonely…

…_not caring about being lonely when she was in dream land…_

…and completely vulnerable…

…_and even if she was, she knew who to call if she needed anything…_

I groaned out loud at my Logic's suddenly smart ass attitude but finally decided that I was just going crazy (I mean, who the hell has arguments with _themselves _over the best course of action…) and I could do whatever the hell I wanted.

Spurred into action I quickly rifled through my "werewolf" drawer and quickly pulled out a pair of nondescript gray sweatpants. They'd be easy to change into once I got there, but they also tasted a lot better than denim. I wasn't going to have time to tie the cord from my leg around my clothes before my conscience kicked in, so I was kind of winging it as I went along.

I was phasing before I jumped out the window so that I thought I heard the frame creak and groan under the weight of the wolf I was becoming. A part of me felt like a naughty 10 year old sneaking out to play with his girl friend from down the street before lights out; the darkness of the night pressed in on me with a sense of urgency that I didn't comprehend until I pinpointed that the emotion stemmed from me. I was completely wound up, totally anticipating the moment when I would lay eyes on her.

I was _excited_.

The run from La Push to the quiet street in Forks was, thankfully, shorter than I had planned so that when I got there I had to gather my thoughts. What if she woke up while I was here? What if she was still awake? How was I supposed to explain my presence in her bedroom in the middle of the night?

"_Oh, hey, I was just passing through…"?_

Somehow it didn't seem like it would work.

But I had come too far to turn back now. I climbed her tree with the agility and speed I most enjoyed, thankful that she had kept her window open on such a warm night. With a small leap and a dull thump that made me wince I crossed the threshold and took a deep breath.

It smelled so much like her I nearly buckled. The sweetest scent I'd ever had the pleasure of experiencing, I found the girl of my dreams curled up in the middle of her bed, blankets surrounding her like thick clouds of warmth.

Cautiously I crossed the room and crouched next to the bed where her head lay. In sleep Bella exuded calm, a light that burned me while at the same time it beckoned me on. Dark hair haloed her sweet face, relaxed in sleep so that her little pink lips slightly parted open as she took deep, relaxed breaths.

Without realizing what I was doing I reached out with a tremulous hand and brushed her bangs away from her closed eyes, nearly jumping back out through the window when she reacted to my touch. Her face very slightly turned to the side and she breathed out in a rough sigh, "_Jacob…"_

For a long second I couldn't move, and even I'd wanted to, I wouldn't have been able to tear my eyes from her. I couldn't believe it. _She _was dreaming about _me_? Somehow the thought that my own dreams were reciprocated was the best discovery since I'd found out the ocean was never ending. My face broke into a bright smile, but was wiped clean with her next set of dream words.

"_Jacob…don't hurt him…"_

Instantly my blood ran cold; I didn't have to be a genius to know who '_him' _was. Still, in a sick kind of way I was glad that she would have to tell me, whether in dreams or reality, not to hurt him. It meant I would have the upper hand if it came to one on one…

"_Please Jake…don't…" _She continued to whisper urgently, as though I had spoken my thoughts out loud to her and she was awake to respond.

I sighed heartily, giving her hair one last stroke before I whispered, "Okay, honey, calm down. I won't…"

With a chaste kiss to her forehead I reluctantly pushed myself to my feet and started back for her open window. Her voice stopped me in my tracks as I sat on the sill and prepared for my launch.

"_I…I love you…"_

I was infinitely grateful that I was sitting down as I'd probably have fallen right to the floor in transparent shock had I been standing. Just as I silently began to whooping to myself and making plans to announce my own feelings the next day when she came down to La Push, she sighed

"_Edward…"_

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

Ten minutes later I lay in bed, the same position I'd been in 20 minutes before, staring up at the ceiling and arguing with myself again. This time, however, the argument was different.

Logic told me I never should have gone, that I was a fool to ever believe she ever had feelings like my own.

My heart agreed wholeheartedly; they only disagreed on how stupid I really was.


End file.
